FLASH: MANCHIN CIRCULATES PLEDGE TO REFUSE PAY -- Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) wants his colleagues to join him in turning their pay over to charities or the Treasury in the event of a government shutdown. "I will take this pledge, and I urge you all – from the president and vice president to all members of Congress – to take it with me: I will forego my federal salary until we reach an agreement. I will donate my salary to charity or return it to the Treasury until the government works again," Manchin writes in a "Dear Colleague' letter going out this morning. "The bottom line is this: I can’t imagine that the President, Vice President or any Member of Congress – Republican or Democrat – thinks they should get paid when the government has shut down."

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DRIVING THE MORNING: WORKING THROUGH THE NIGHT -- After talks among President Obama, Speaker John Boehner and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid failed to produce a bargain, the top aides to Boehner and Reid -- Barry Jackson and David Krone, respectively -- were tasked with working through the night alongside White House staff to try to strike a deal on the fiscal 2011 appropriations bills.

"House Speaker John Boehner and President Barack Obama met late into the night Wednesday to narrow their differences even as Republicans sought political cover behind a short-term “troop funding” bill that the White House has asked the GOP not to pursue," David Rogers writes for POLITICO. "'I remain confident that if we are serious about getting something done, we should be able to complete a deal to avert a government shutdown,'” Obama said ... near 10:45 p.m. ... 'It would be inexcusable ... that we can’t get this done.' Also participating in the more than 80-minute long Oval Office session were Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Vice President Joe Biden. But the president and speaker were the two central figures, and from the looks on their faces — and frequent use of 'frank' and 'honest' in describing the talks — it had been more than a casual airing of differences. ... [T]he speaker again sidestepped any commitment to a precise spending target and was more cautious about promising a deal can be reached. 'There’s no agreement on a number and there’s no agreement on the policy,” Boehner said. “But there’s an intent to try to resolve this.'" http://politi.co/gtXISV

SAVING THE DAY: SELF INTEREST? -- "It would seem that all the pieces are in place for a government shutdown: deep differences over money and policy, rank-and-file lawmakers agitating for it, and a dwindling timetable. The missing ingredients? A president, a House speaker and a Senate majority leader who actually want it," Carrie Budoff Brown and I write for the hometown paper this morning. "The figures at the center of the spending impasse ... aren’t the chest-pounding types ... They are low-key political operators, each harboring a legitimate self-interest to avert a shutdown. ... It may simply be too late to reverse the momentum that has been building toward a shutdown. ... Senior administration officials, from legislative director Rob Nabors to Chief of Staff William Daley to budget director Jack Lew, have spent hours on the phone and in-person trying to break the deadlock. ... [T]hose who have been in the trenches with him say he’s an expert legislator — and one worthy of the trust of his counterparts. 'He tends to be hands-on. He knows his subject matter. He does leave the details, very often, to staff,' said a Democratic source who has been involved in talks with him in the past. “'He sets out broadly what he thinks is acceptable to him … He tells you what he thinks he can agree to and he wants to know what you think you can agree to.' ... 'Harry is in a box,' said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). 'And one thing about Harry, he can pull a rabbit out of a hat.'"

REID STANDS ALONE -- By POLITICO's Manu "The Machine" Raju -- "Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has been a man on an island ... The Republican he’s worked with for years, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, has stayed on the sidelines. President Barack Obama was disengaged until the last 48 hours. Liberals are carping over the billions in spending cuts, and conservatives in the House have attacked him daily," Manu writes. "Democrats in the Senate have put their blind faith behind him to cut a deal in the secretive talks, meaning the majority leader will have ownership of a plan certain to displease a wide range of senators." http://politi.co/hTEqMy

POSITIONING FOR A SHUTDOWN: DEFENSE BILL COUPLED WITH 1-WEEK STOPGAP -- "Determined to put the ball in the Democratic court, Mr. Boehner said the Republican House would vote Thursday on a plan that would keep the government open for another week, extract $12 billion in reductions to spending and fully finance the Pentagon through Sept. 30," Carl Hulse and Jackie Calmes of the New York Times write. "[T]he president and Senate Democrats have said that proposal will not advance. ... The inclusion of the military spending should win support for the bill even from House conservatives who had previously said they would not back any more temporary spending measures. It also allows Republicans to say they are making certain that troops fighting overseas do not miss a paycheck." http://politi.co/hMyHdj

DEMOCRATIC RESPONSE -- "The GOP’s phony one-week CR has absolutely zero chance of becoming law. It may appease the Tea Party faction of their party that seems to be driving the negotiations, but it is not going to keep the lights on," a senior Democratic aide writes in an e-mail message to POLITICO.

PARADE OF PAIN: CHERRY BLOSSOMS AMONG POSSIBLE VICTIMS -- The Washington Post reports on the local impact of a shutdown in the D.C. area. "Washington braced Wednesday for a far-reaching federal government shutdown and a potential stop to everything from local trash collection and the writing of some parking tickets to Saturday’s annual Cherry Blossom Parade," Ed O'Keefe and Michael E. Ruane write. "Even with the bleachers in place and parade-goers en route, festival officials said late Wednesday that the National Park Service could not honor the group’s parade permits if a shutdown occurs." If that happens, you're welcome to stop by Huddle's house to gaze at the cherry tree. Bring some lemonade or hot chocolate -- after all, it's April in D.C. The weather could be right for either one.

CHIEF BRIEF: THEY CAN ALL BE 'ESSENTIAL' -- There's been a lot of consternation among chiefs of staff about who should qualify as an "essential" or "non-essential" employee in the event of a shutdown (no one gets paid, but essentials come to work and don't have to give up their communication devices). Here's an answer for you, with love, from Huddle: If the choice is up to you, and it is, you can designate everyone -- or no one -- as essential. The guidance is so broad as to be just that: guidance. We were forwarded a chain of chiefs' e-mails, which we won't publish, that arrived at that conclusion.

MORE BENEFITS: LESS PAPERWORK -- If everyone is deemed "essential," there's no furlough paperwork to submit -- at least on the House side.

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, and welcome to The Huddle, where it is noted that, sometimes, the opposite of progress is Congress, it is wondered which MEMBERS might be deemed non-essential in a shutdown, we're mildly disappointed that POLITICO's new softball team will be called "Winning" rather than our suggestion of "#Winning," Charlie Sheen is reminded that you're pretty much out of talent when you're 40-something and making money by taking your clothes off on stage http://bit.ly/gJI3Uo , and Ronde and Tiki Barber are wished a very happy 36th birthday.

Please send tips, suggestions, comments, complaints, corrections, your thoughts on what to name the shutdown -- aides to Rep. Joe Crowley suggest Govmageddon -- and sports scores (like 11, the number of games in which freshman hoopster Kyrie Irving played at Duke before declaring that he'll enter the NBA draft) to jallen@politico.com. If you don't already, you can follow me on Twitter @jonallendc. Fast Break is @JakeSherman. Robo is @PoliticoKevin. New followers include @QuorumCall and @JRHoganson.

PROGRAMMING NOTE -- Fast Break's running the Huddle tomorrow.

*** A message from our sponsor: Over 350 experts ask Congressional leadership to reform the greatest budgetary threats immediately: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security. Doing so will promote job growth, support more rapid economic growth, and rekindle the American dream of upward mobility. See www.AmericanActionForum.org ****

TODAY IN CONGRESS -- The Senate's in at 10 a.m. Sen. Hoeven delivers his maiden speech at noon, and the small business reauthorization bills continue to be debated after that.

The House is in at 10 a.m., and there's no guidance on when the last vote will occur. A final vote on legislation blocking the EPA from regulating emissions to combat climate change is on the schedule, as is consideration of the bill coupling Pentagon spending with a one-week extension of other government programs. It's also possible that a resolution disapproving of the FCC's "net neutrality" ruling could get a vote. The one-week CR comes to the floor under a rule that also gives the House "same day" authority to bring a long-term budget bill to the floor, if one becomes available, without waiting an extra day.

AROUND THE HILL -- Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) joins with Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) on the Republican budget at 10:45 a.m. in HVC Studio A. In that same room, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) will hold his weekly press conference with reporters at 11:30 a.m. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) talks Pell Grants with college professors at 2 p.m. at the House Triangle.

POWER THEFT: EPA GETTING HAMMERED -- From Darren Samuelsohn and Robin Bravender of POLITICO Pro's Energy team: “Not long ago, the Obama EPA was riding high after Congress approved the agency’s biggest budget in history, and agency officials were hailed for their promises to guide their policies by science, rather than politics. But that was before Republicans were swept into the House majority and made it one of their top priorities to unravel EPA rules they’ve deemed ‘job-killers.’” http://politico.pro/gt5VQu

BUT, WAIT I: EPA-BLOCKING AMENDMENTS IN THE SENATE ALL FAILED TO WIN A MAJORITY YESTERDAY. BUT, WAIT II: THE HOUSE WILL PASS THE RESTRICTIONS TODAY.

CONGRESS FAILS COURTESY TEST

-- David A. Farenthold of the Washington Post reports that a professor has concluded 27% of communication by members of Congress consists of taunts. "To come up with this insight, King and two graduate students analyzed 64,033 press releases sent out by all U.S. senators from 2005 to 2007. They used a computer program to sort them into different categories, based on their content," Farenthold writes. "Now, its not earth-shaking news that legislators like to insult each other. But what King did is quantify how much they do it: more than a quarter of the time. He found taunting was most common in members whose districts were safe strongly held by their party."
http://wapo.st/fNbYd3

TROUBLED WATERS: NEW TWIST IN ETHICS CASE -- R. Jeffrey Smith of the Washington Post reports that FDIC officials questioned a bailout of OneUnited Bank, the institution at the center of an ethics investigation into Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.). "The chairman of OneUnited Bank, a friend of Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), had rendered it insolvent through lavish spending and bad investments, according to the examiners written accounts. But by the end of that year, after Waters arranged a key Treasury Department meeting for the bank, it had won a bailout loan and a unique exemption from the FDICs accounting rules. 'There are some really good people expressing very strong opinions regarding what they view as a travesty of justice regarding the special treatment this institution is receiving,' acting regional director John M. Lane warned in a March 2009 e-mail to Christopher J. Spoth, a senior FDIC consumer protection official," Smith writes. "A spokesman for [Rep. Jo] Bonner [R-Ala.], the committee chairman since January, declined comment on whether or when the planned Waters hearing might be scheduled. Three key staff members involved in the probe left amid controversy over the soundness of the investigation and have yet to be replaced. But House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) recently designated a new pool of members to serve on investigative subcommittees, a spokesman said." http://wapo.st/hvZfdN

EXPECT HEARINGS: VET CLAIMS BACKLOGGED -- "The number of veterans' disability claims taking more than four months to complete has doubled, prompting criticism from veterans and Congress that the Department of Veterans Affairs failed to prepare for a rise in cases it knew was coming," Gregg Zoroya reports in USA Today. "The number of claims that take more than 125 days to decide has gone from 200,000 a year ago to 450,000 today, according to administration budget documents. As a result, veterans must wait even longer to receive payments for disabilities. http://usat.ly/hQ7PDe

EXPECT NO HEARINGS: OIL SUBSIDIES ARE SAFE -- Dan Froomkin at the Huffington Post looks at the sway of Big Oil when it comes to protecting subsidies. "Clout in Washington isn't about winning legislative battles -- it's about making sure that they never happen at all. The oil and gas industry has that kind of clout," Froomkin writes. "When President Obama called on Congress to eliminate about $4 billion a year in tax breaks for Big Oil earlier this year, the response on the Hill was little more than a knowing chuckle. Even Obama's closest congressional allies don't think the presidents proposal has a shot." http://huff.to/dObSGC

YESTERDAY'S TRIVIA -- Yitzhak Rabin said "Ladies and gentlemen, the time for peace has come." The first correct answer came from TigerComm account executive Stacy Lambe. Congratulations, Stacy.

TODAY'S TRIVIA -- When was the first government shutdown? Send answers to jallen@politico.com Prize: Mention in Friday's Huddle.

**** There can be no greater national priority than reducing the prospective explosion of federal debt. It threatens the economic prosperity of this great country, represents a betrayal of our national obligation to deliver a better future to the next generations, and military leaders have identified it as a national security threat. Reforming the greatest budgetary threats – the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security – is of the utmost importance for the 112th Congress. Such an act of leadership will promote job growth, support more rapid economic growth and rekindle the American dream of upward mobility. Read the letter from over 350 economists and experts to Congressional leadership on www.AmericanActionForum.org

Authors:

About The Author

Jonathan Allen is POLITICO’s senior Washington correspondent and focuses his reporting on the nexus of politics and policy. He is a winner of the National Press Foundation’s Everett McKinley Dirksen Award for Distinguished Reporting of Congress and the National Press Club’s Sandy Hume Award for Excellence in Political Journalism. A graduate of the University of Maryland, Jonathan was born in Silver Spring, Md., and lives in Washington, D.C., with his wife and son. He frequently speaks to groups about politics and journalism, taught a course at Northwestern University in 2012, and appears as a guest analyst on national television and local radio programs.